Jeff Rubin, chief strategist and economist at CIBC World Markets believes that tariffs on carbon emissions may come soon. And if carbon tariffs are imposed then countries with high greenhouse gas emissions will not be seen as good choices for manufacturing regardless of their low costs. So what does this mean? It means that we could see industries such as plastics, chemicals and steel leaving China and returning to America to set up operations.  

On Saturday night, individuals in two dozen countries ranging from Australia to North America dimmed their lights for one hour to call others into action about the need to prevent climate change. In Canada, the CN Tower went dark, the outdoor lights at Parliament Hill were turned off, and the Fairmont Chateau Laurier went dark too. In Toronto a green-powered concert was held at City Hall with Nelly Furtado singing her song, "Turn off the Light".  Organizers hoped that the simple gesture of dimming lights would encourage people to do more in their day to day lives. More than 100,000 people in Canada had signed up online to participate in the event and a poll prior to Saturday suggested that 70 percent of Canadians were promising to participate. 

The Maine lobster industry is well respected and has made grand efforts to set respectable harvesting practices. The lobster fishery has limits on the number of traps it sets and rules about the size of lobsters that can be caught as well as banning catching egg bearing females. However, now the Maine lobster industry is looking to go one step further and become certified with a sustainable eco-label. Linda Bean, owner of Port Clyde Lobster sees the move for certification as necessary, "We're convinced that the demand for Maine lobster will be greatly affected if won't do this," she said. "We'll be out of the loop."  

The Firewinder, also known as the Original Windlight "is a revolutionary new outdoor light, powered entirely by the wind - it transforms a gentle breeze into a beautiful upward spiralling light and a strong wind into a pulsating pillar of light". The Firewinder is easy to install and can be easily hung in a tree, placed in your garden or rooftop. All that one needs to do is to mount the Firewinder to a post or wall and once the wind blows the Firewinder glows - the more wind the stronger the light. The Firewinder is made from recyclable materials and aboslutely nothing but wind is needed to produce the light. 

Whole Foods is approaching their younger market by having them get involved in a green living contest posted through YouTube. The contest is part of Whole Foods launch of the Whole Earth Generation - a video podcast series that is hoping to raise awareness of environmental issues to youth. The series will depict topics generated by Generation Y and Z and will also include celebrity cameos, show interesting green products and ideas for creating a sustainable future and convincing skeptics of how to be more green. The contest is looking for 6 youth, aged 8 to 17 to be hosts of the podcast series and interested participants can post their auditions on YouTube.  

How does one become more green? Basically, you need to assess your current state, set new goals, change your current behavior and then measure the results. Seems a little complicated for most companies but Xerox is making it easier for offices of any size through their Sustainability Calculator. The Calculator can be used to assess printers, multifunction devices and copiers regardless of the vendor.